High pile product

ABSTRACT

A high-loft, nonwoven fabric with a gathered sheet material backing layer comprising a web of sheet material with adhesive on each side thereof, the fabric also including a multiplicity of fibers looped outwardly from the backing layer; and a method and apparatus for making the fabric by applying adhesive on a first side of the web of sheet material, embedding a web of fibers in an open patten of adhesive applied to the opposite side of the web of sheet material, and then gathering the sheet material having the open pattern of adhesive into a gathered sheet material backing layer with a rough uneven undersurface while looping the fibers outwardly from the backing.

Jan. 9, 1973 H. G. MlNsHELL HIGH PILE PRODUCT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNOV. 23, 1970 h! if i,

JUL 9, 1973 H. G. MINSHELL vHIGH PILE PRDUCT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV.23, 1970 W M V W Jan. 9, 1973 H. G. MINSHELL HIGH PILE PRODUCT FiledNov. 23, 1970 M401/ @pff/70M:

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 M467/ Wfff/m/ United States Patent O 3,709,750 HIGHPILE PRODUCT Herman G. Minshell, Menasha, Wis., assignor toKimberly-Clark Corporation, Neenah, Wis. Filed Nov. 23, 1970, Ser. No.91,903 Int. Cl. B32b 5 /00 U.S. Cl. 156--72 9 Claims ABSTRACT F THEDISCLOSURE A high-loft, nonwoven fabric with a gathered sheet materialbacking layer comprising a web of sheet material with adhesive on eachside thereof, the fabric also including a multiplicity of fibers loopedoutwardly from the backing layer; and a method and apparatus for makingthe fabric by applying adhesive on a first side of the Web of sheetmaterial, embedding a web of fibers in an open pattern of adhesiveapplied to the opposite side of the web of sheet material, and thengathering the sheet material having the open pattern of adhesive into agathered sheet material backing layer with a rough uneven undersurfacewhile looping the fibers outwardly from the backing.

RELATED APPLICATIONS Robert I. Stumpf, Ser. No. 769,959, filed Oct. 23,1968 and now abandoned, and replaced by Robert I. Stumpf, Ser. No.31,225, filed Apr. 23, 1970.

Robert I. Stumpf, Ser. No. 820,224, filed Apr. 29, 1969. Robert I.Stumpf, William J. Mattes and Herman G. Minshell, Ser. No. 77,840, filedOct. 5, 1970.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally tohigh-loft, nonwoven fabrics and, more particularly, to a high-loft,nonwoven fabric that incorporates a web of tissue or film in the backinglayer and to a method and apparatus for making the fabric.

In recent years, many different types of nonwoven materials have beenproduced both to replace conventional woven fabrics and, also, to createnew markets in which woven fabrics have not yet become established. Thisis particularly true in the case of materials for single use indisposable products, such as: sanitary supplies, hospital garments,disposable sheets, disposable diapers, and the like. For theseapplications the nonwoven fabric is generally made in continuous sheetform with one or more layers of staple length fibers and/or a reinforcedscrim structure adhesively bonded together or laminated between plies ofother materials such as cellulosic wadding and plastic sheeting. Thefibers may be natural, synthetic or various blends thereof, and, ofcourse, the particular composition of the nonwoven fabric is greatlyinuenced by its intended use.

The aforesaid copending applications Nos. 769,959, and 820,224, both ofwhich are assigned to the same assignee as the present application,describe methods of lmaking high-loft, nonwoven materials bysimultaneously looping a large number of fibers and gathering anadhesive layer in which the fibers are embedded at spaced points toproduce a nonwoven fabric with the fibers extending outwardly from aconsolidated or partially consolidated adhesive backing formed by thegathering operation, resulting in a high-loft fabric with a pleasingsurface texture and appearance. The fibers are initially embedded in anopen pattern of adhesive and then looped outwardly away from theadhesive in the open areas of the pattern, the adhesive being gatheredsimultaneously with the looping Patented Jan. 9, 1973 operation toprovide the consolidated, or partially consolidated adhesive backing forthe resulting fabric.

In the methods of both of the aforesaid copending applications, Ser.Nos. 769,959 and 820,224, the fibers are applied to the open pattern ofadhesive which has previously been applied to a continuous travelingbelt. The adhesive `and the fibers form a web which is then separatedfrom the belt prior to the consolidation step. To thicken or strengthenthe backing layer, it has often been found desirable to laminateadditional layers of material to the backing layers subsequent to theconsolidation stepfor example, in the manner described in the aforesaidcopending continuation-in-part application Ser. No. 31,225, assigned tothe assignee of the present invention. Alternatively, it has been foundthat additional strength can be imparted to the nonwoven material byapplying a second open pattern of adhesive to the partially cured firstadhesive pattern prior to the consolidation step as described in theaforesaid copending application, Ser. No. 77,840, also assigned to theassignee of the present invention. As disclosed therein, the combinationof the two applications of adhesive permits the use of heavier and/ orthicker fibers, as well `as threads and yarns, which enables theproduction of more substantial and heavier fabrics.

In some instances attempts have been made to apply the 'open pattern ofadhesive directly to a web of paper tissue or the like, rather than tothe continuous belt. However, such attempts have heretofore failed toproduce high-loft, nonwoven fabrics of good quality. Rather, theresulting structure did not resemble the highly advantageous high-loft,nonwoven fabrics disclosed and claimed in the aforesaid copendingapplications, Ser. Nos. 769,959, and 820,224 and 77,840.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to providean improved high-loft, nonwoven fabric that has a web of paper tissue orthe like incorporated within the backing layer of the product, with theproduct having the desired outwardly extending loops that impart thehigh-loft characteristic to the product.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method andapparatus for producing a high-loft, non- Woven fabric having a web oftissue or the like incorporated within the backing layer and wherein thetissue web is present during the consolidation step, as opposed to beinglaminated to the backing layer subsequent to the consolidation step.

A more specific object is to provide an improved method and apparatusfor producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric having a web of tissue or thelike incorporated therein, wherein adhesive is applied to both sides ofthe tissue web so that successful consolidation may be achieved.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent upon reading theensuing detailed description and upon reference to the attacheddrawings, in which:

FIG. l is a schematic side elevational view of apparatus which may beemployed to manufacture the highloft, nonwoven fabric of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of an illustrative web of basematerial, somewhat simplified and exaggerated for the sake of clarity ofillustration, with portions broken away to expose the various layers;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a high-loft, nonwoven fabric of thepresent invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are greatly enlarged, simplified and somewhat exaggeratedsections, taken substantially along the longitudinal line 4-4 andtransverse line 5--5, respectively, of FIG. 3; i

FIG. -6 is an enlarged schematic detail and side elevation of theforming drum and gathering blade of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a further enlarged schematic side elevation, here illustratingin somewhat idealized fashion, the sequence of gathering and looping ofindividual fibers;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged schematic fragmentary view taken substantiallyalong the line 8-8 of FIG. 7, showing a fragment of illustrative fibersattached to the adhesive pattern applied to at least one side of the webof tissue or the like, here prior to adhesive consolidation;

FIG. 9 is a simplified schematic view taken along substantially the line9 9 of still another sequence as shown in FIG. 7, here depicting thefibers as looped outwardly following adhesive consolidation; and,

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate, in plan view, exemplary alternative adhesivepatterns that may be used for the base web in the practice of thepresent invention.

While the present invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by wayof example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood however, that it is not intended to limit theinvention to the particular form disclosed but, on the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternativesfalling within the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appendedclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to the drawings. the high-loft,nonwoven fabric of the present invention is preferably prepared by themethod and apparatus illustrated in FIG. l. To this end, a web 10 ofpaper tissue or other suitable film-like material, is drawn from asupply roll 12 and around a positioning roller 14 to angularly positionthe web as it approaches a first adhesive applicating station, generallyindicated at 16.

To apply the adhesive to the underside of the web 10 as illustrated, theweb 10 is fed through a nip formed between a printing roller 18 and aback-up roll 20 maintained in very light pressure engagement therewith.The surface of the printing roll 18 may be very finely lined or,alternatively, provided with an intaglio pattern which picks up adhesive22 from a reservoir located immediately above an inclined doctor blade24, with the reservoir being defined in part by the upper surface of theinclined doctor blade and the adjacent portion of the rotatingperipheral surface of the printing roll 18. A pump P may be provided toreplenish adhesive 22 in the reservoir from a preferably larger supplypan 26. Thus, as the printing roll 18 rotates (in a clockwise directionas viewed in FIG. 1), the finely lined or intaglio patterned surfacethereof is fillled with adhesive 22, excess adhesive is removed by thedoctor blade 24 and a metered amount of adhesive 22 is then transferredto the underside of the web 10. In the event the surface of the printingroll is finely lined, a substantially continuous even layer of adhesive22 will be applied to the underside of the web 10, and in the event thesurface of the printing rol] 20 contains an intaglio pattern, thepattern, which may be in the form of an open diamond pattern, will beapplied.

Subsequent to the application of adhesive upon the web 10, the latter isdrawn around a heated drum 28 which substantially cures the adhesiveprior to traveling to a second adhesive applicating station. indicatedgenerally at 30 in FIG. 1. To insure effective heating and curing of theadhesive, it is desirable that the web 10 travel around a substantialportion of the drum 28, and accordingly a ily roller 32 is provided. Inkeeping with the invention, the web 10 is turned around anotherpositioning roller 34 to approach the second adhesive applicatingstation 30 at the correct angle.

The adhesive applicating station 30 may be substantially identical tothe station 16, having a printing roll 36, a back up roll 38, a doctorblade 40, as well as a pump P, and a supply pan 42 having adhesive 43therein, with the operation being substantially similar to thatdescribed above for the applicating station 16. However, in thisinstance the web 10 is being fed from right to left as viewed in FIG. 1(as contrasted with station 16 wherein the web feed is from left toright), and the drum 36 is rotating in a counterclockwise direction asviewed in the drawing.

Unlike the printing roll 18 which may alternatively have either a finelylined surface or an intaglio patterned surface, the printing roll 36 isprovided with an intaglio patterned surface so that a pattern ofadhesive-for example, a diamond pattern such as is shown at 44 in FIG.2-is applied to the underside of the web 10. It will, of course, beappreciated that in the illustrative apparatus, the underside of the web10 in station 30 is the same as the upper side of the web 10 in station16-this due to the reversal in direction of web feed.

As a consequence of the foregoing. the adhesive applied at theapplicating station 30 is on the opposite side of the web 10 withrespect to the adhesive applied at the applicating station 16. Theresult is that the web 10 has adhesive applied to both sides thereofwith at least one side, namely the underside of the web passing throughadhesive applicating station 30, having an open diamond adhesivepattern. After the web 10 has passed through the second adhesiveapplicator station 30, it travels around a roller 44 and onto roller 46which positions the web to receive additional material thereon.

In carrying out the present invention, multiple slivers 48 of fibers aredrawn from their respective supply cans (not shown) into a draw frame 50which comprises a series of pairs of grooved rolls 52, the rolls of eachpair being driven by appropriate gearing (not shown, but well known inthe art) at a peripheral rate of speed slightly faster than the rate ofoperation of the preceeding pair. As the multiple slivers pass throughthe draw frame 50, the individual fibers are drafted and spread out toform a fiat striated web 54a of substantially aligned fibers 56 (FIG.2).

In order to maintain the web 54a under slight tension, the web 10 ispreferably fed around the roll 46 at a speed slightly in excess of thedelivery speed of the final pair of rolls 52 in draw frame 50, wherebythe individual highlydrafted fibers 56 are retained in their aligned andtensioned condition.

If desired, additional aligned and highly drafted fibers may be added tothe web 10 overlying the web 54a previously applied thereto. For thispurpose, a second draw frame 60 (similar to the draw frame 50) isprovided to draw additional slivers 62 of fibers from their supply cans(not shown) and, after drafting and aligning them, to deposit anadditional striated web 54b upon the web 54a. In such cases, the amountof adhesive printed on the web 10 in the adhesive applicating station 30is increased so as to insure that some of the adhesive penetrates thefibers in the bottom web 54a and reaches the fibers in the upper web 54bdelivered from the second draw frame 60. The additional adhesive,together with the speed differenetial of the web 10 relative to the lastpair of rollers in the draw frame 60, serves to maintain these fibersunder slight tension whereby they also retain their highly drafted andaligned condition.

In order to produce patterned effects in finished fabrics made inaccordance with the present invention, provision is made for depositingthe fibers in either or both of webs 54a and 54b on web 10 in acontrollable repetitive or, in some instances, nonrepetitive pattern. Toaccomplish this, the fibers drawn from draw frames 50, 6i) respectivelypass under bars 63, 64 positioned on the output side of the last pair ofrollers in each drawn frame. Either or both of the bars 63, 64 may thenbe oscillated to produce the desired patterned effect. -For example, thebar 64 may be oscillated in a direction generally transverse to themovement of the web 10 and, preferably, provision is also made forcontrolling the frequency and amplitude of the oscillation. Thus, as thebar 64 is oscillated the fibers deposited from the draw frame 60` takeon a generally sinusoidal wave pattern of controlled frequency andamplitude as is shown at -54b in IFIG. 2. Similarly, the bar 63 may beoscillated to impart a wave pattern to the web 54a being applied to theweb 10.

Following deposit of the striated webs I54a and 54h on the adhesiveprinted web 10, the composite web a is passed around rollers 66, 68 and70 to a heated drum 72 where fusing and curing of the adhesive issubstantially completed while the web 10 is maintained in firm contacttherewith to bond the individual fibers. To insure effective heating andfusing of the adhesive, it is desirable that travel of the web be arounda substantial portion of the drum 72.

While various well-known adhesives may be employed in the foregoingprocess, advantages reside in the use of plastisols, which are colloidaldispersions of synthetic resins in a suitable organic ester plasticizer,and which, under the infiuence of heat, provide good binding power whileremaining soft and flexible. While many adhesives of this type areknown, those found particularly useful for incorporation in the productof this invention include vinyl chloride polymers, and copolymers ofvinyl chloride with other vinyl resins, plasticized by organicphthalates, sebacates, or adipates. These provide a fast curingplastisol adhesive characterized' by relatively low viscosity, lowmigration tendencies, and minimum volatility. Such adhesives remain softand fiexible after curing, and can be reactivated by subsequent heating.

It has been found that other adhesives may be employed in the processforexample, organisols utilizing resins such as the vinyl chloride polymersand copolymers. Furthermore, still other adhesives may be e.nployedprovided that they satisfy specified characteristics in the base web 10aproduced in the web forming section, and in the finished fabric producedin the adhesive compacting and fiber looping section 76 (FIG. l). Ingeneral, such adhesives should be applied to the base web by procedureswhich will not disarrange the fibrous structure of the web; suchadhesives should heat-set at temperatures below the degradationtemperature of the fibers in the base web 10a to secure bonding of thefibers to the adhesive; such adhesives should be reactivatable in thesubsequent adhesive gathering and consolidation stage of the process;and such adhesives should form a exible backing layer for the finishedfabric and should strongly bond the fiber loops in place. For example,emulsions of thermoplastic resins such as acrylics and rubber-likecompounds, illustratively ABS, have the requisite properties to serve asthe bonding adhesive for the web 10a.

In carrying out the present invention, the base material, made asheretofore described and comprising a web 10a of highly-drafted fibersembedded in an open adhesive pattern deposited on the top surface of atissue web 10 or the like also having adhesive on its bottom surface, isfed into the adhesive consolidating the fiber looping section 76 of theapparatus shown in FIG. 1. As shown here, the Web 10a continues directlyfrom the web forming section to the consolidating and looping section76. It should be appreciated, however, that the web 10a discharged fromthe heating drum 72 could be cooled, rolled up for storage or transport,and then subsequently unrolled and fed into section 76.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the web 10a, while still under tension, is fedaround an idler roll 74 and onto the surface of a heated forming drum78. In its preferred embodiment, the drum 78` is made of metal with ahighly polished, chromium plated surface which is heated to maintain theweb 10a at a temperature of approximately 250 F. Also, the web 10a isarranged to travel a substantial distance around the drum 78 with theside of the web coated with adhesive 22 in station 16, either in theform of an adhesive film or an open pattern of adhesive, in directcontact with the heated drum surface. As the web 10a is fed onto thedrum 78, the heat from the drum surface reactivates and softens theadhesive 22 printed on the underside of the web, causing it to be tackyand to adhere slightly to the drum surface, thereby maintaining the webunder constant tension. The drum temperature, which is heated to keepthe web at about 250 F., is, however, maintained below the melting pointof the adhesive to prevent dispersion of the adhesive on the uppersurface of the web and to minimize bonding of the adhesive lines as willhereinafter be described in greater detail. The web, fibers and softenedadhesive is reformed by the cooperative action of the drum 7S and agathering blade having a fiat edge 82 as is shown in IFIGS. l, 6 and 7.'Ihe blade edge 82 operates to consolidate the open adhesive pattern 44into a backing layer having the web 10 and the film or pattern ofadhesive 22 on the underside of web 10 as an integral part of thebacking layer, while simultaneously looping the individual fibersoutwardly from the open spaces in the original adhesive pattern 44. Asisshown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the backing layer has protrusions E that extendupwardly from the lower plane of the backing layer providing a rough,uneven undersurface as illustrated in FIG. 5. The loops P and P1 extendfrom the backing layer to further increase the depth of the material asis shown. 'I'he reformed and consolidated material `84 then leaves theblade edge 82 and moves onto a fiat take-away surface 86 and an endlessdischarge conveyor 88 traveling around drums driven in the direction ofthe arrow 90a (clockwise as viewed in FIG. l). The fabric `84 is carriedalong the take-away surface 86 by the action 0f the conveyor 88.

Since the adhesive on the undersurface is hot and tacky as the fabricflows onto the take-away surface 86, that surface 86 may be treated witha nonstick or release coating to insure that the fabric may be drawnsmoothly along thesurface. It is also necessary to cool the fabricimmediately after consolidation, and, to this end, the take-away surface86 may be internally cooled to cool the fabric. For additional coolingthe left drum 90 (FIG. l) may be internally water cooled. Streams of airmay also be blown against the underside of the belt from suitably placednozzles 92, which will also serve to cool the fabric 84. It may also benecessary or desirable to pass the fabric through an additional coolingstation or zone (not shown) to further cool the adhesive andthermoplastic fibers.

Turning now to FIGS. 7-9, the method of making the high-loft, nonwovenfabric 84 will be explained in greater detail in connection with anillustrated sequence of the gathering and looping of a single fiber tothe adhesive on the web 10 and the consolidation of its two originalpoints of adhesive attachment in the pattern 44. As seen in FIG. 8, thefiber 56 has a portion P which extends across the open space of thediamond pattern 44 of the adhesive from point A to point B where it isembedded in the adhesive applied to the web 10. Referring to FIG. 7, theseries of views in this figure illustrate how the portion P of eachfiber is formed into a loop. When point A, which is being carried aroundthe heated drum 73, impinges against the gathering blade edge 82, itsforward motion is halted and it is scraped along the surface of thedrum. Point B continues to advance with the drum surface due to thesoftened and tacky condition of the film or pattern of adhesive 22 onthe underside of the web 10 which causes the latter to adhere to thesmooth drum surface.

As point B advances relatively to point A, the portion P of the fiberbetween points A and B is caused to bow outwardly from the drum surface.Finally, point B overtakes point A and these points of adhesive aresubstantially consolidated as seen in FIG. 9. In the meantime fiberportion P has been looped outwardly from the drum surface. While this isoccurring, of course, additional adhesive points C-D etc., travelingaround the drum 78 impinge against the gathering blade edge 82, causinga consolidation of these adhesives points and looping of theirintermediate ber portions P1 as is also indicated in FIG.

9. This occurs simultaneously at all points across the web at the bladeedge producing a substantially continuous backing layer comprised of theweb and the adhesive applied to both sides of the web, from whichextends a multiplicity of loops formed by the fibers having been appliedto the adhesive pattern 44. The consolidated layers of adhesive and web10 is carried away from the blade edge along the take-away surface 86and provides a backing layer for the outwardly looped fibers, thusproducing the fabric 84.

Not only does each of the fiber portions P loop outwardly from the drumsurface but, also, as the loop is formed it turns, through an angle lessthan 90 relative to the direction of the original alignment of fiberportion P. Thus, the fiber loops arrange themselves so that the plane ofeach loop at an angle relative to the original fiber alignment shown inFIG. 8. The reason for the loop twisting as it is formed may beexplained by the following observation. If two spaced points of a singlefiber not in a web are brought together, it has been observed that thefiber will form a loop and as the loop is formed it twists toward aposition of minimum internal stress, turning through an angleapproaching 180. In carrying out the method of the present invention,because of the great number of fibers in the web and their closeproximity to one another, as well as the protrusions from the backinglayer, each fiber loop engages the neighboring fiber loops and thoseprotrusions in the backing layer, with the result that all of the loopsare blocked from turning beyond an acute angle relative to the machinedirection, and are constrained in that position. In practice, of course,the actual direction and degree of loop twist depend uponcharacteristics of the fibers in the original webs 54a and S4b and theconfiguration of the backing layer.

It is important to note however, that throughout the fabric the heightsof the fiber loops vary according to the spacing between the points ofattachment of each fiber to the open adhesive pattern on the web 10.Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, it will be seen, for example, that the loopformed by the fiber portion P1 between the points of adhesive attachmentC and D will have a lower height than the loop formed by the longerliber portion P between the points A and B. This results in a densefabric with the lower loops supporting and filling around the higherloops and the top surface of the fiber being formed by the tops of thehigher loops. The appearance of the fabric so constructed depends notonly on the height of the fiber loops but also on the type and denier ofthe fibers used in the web 54a and 5417 and, one of the features of theinvention is that the depth of the fabric and evenness of the surfacemay be varied by adjusting the control parameters, as will be explainedbelow.

In general, it may be said that for moderate and low loft materialswhich have been produced with the illustrative method, the fabricappears to have a uniform thickness with a somewhat uneven surfacetexture. With very deep high loft fabrics, particularly when made fromflexible, low denier fibers, the higher loops tend tolay one over theother providing a very soft nap and fuzzy, fiberous surface.

As result of trying different blade edge angles (FIG. 6), it has been,determined that the preferred blade edge angle is between about 17 andabout 54, at least in those instances when dealing with a pattern ofadhesive in which the lines of adhesive are spaced apart by about 1A",center-.to-center, in the machine direction. With blade angles withinthis preferred range and with adhesive pattern employing this spacing,fabrics have been produced with a dense, regular mass of loops thatprovide a textured, somewhat uneven surface.

With the blade edge angles less than 17, difiiculty has been experiencedin obtaining a uniformly gathered backing layer. This appears to be aresult of insufiicient relief between the blade edge and the drumsurface for the fabric to flow evenly and smoothly off the drum surfaceas a result of the action of the blade, which produces varying degreesof gathering which may spoil the surface appearance of the fabric. Withblade edge angles substantially above 54 and with adhesive patternshaving 1A: inch spacing, both the problems of nonuniform gathering andpoor loop formation have been experienced.

As previously mentioned, the web 10 originating from the supply roll 12may be a single or multiple-ply paper tissue. However, the web may be ofrelatively thin film to give the backing layer of the fabric 84 unusualcharacteristics. Useful films include those such as polyvinyl chlorideand polyvinylidene chloride. Additionally, polypropylene films may alsobe used if the curing temperature of the adhesive system used iscompatible with the film, i.e.-melting or shrinkage of the film does notoccur Within the temperatures required to cure the adhesive used.

The advantages of having the web 10 incorporated within the backinglayer of the fabric 84, as opposed to being subsequently laminated tothe backing layer after the consolidation step is performed, is that thestrength of the fabric 84 may be increased, depending upon the physicalcharacteristics of the base web being used. Additionally, the inclusionof the web 10 in the backing layer, may inherently increase the weightand thickness of the backing layer to produce a more substantial fabric84.

Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the adhesivecould be applied in patterns other than the open diamond pattern shownfor example in FIG. 2. For example, the adhesive could be applied in theform of criss cross sine waves 92 as shown in FIG. 10, or in the form ofevenly spaced diagonal lines 94 as shown in FIG. 11, or in the form ofparallel sine waves 96 as shown in FIG. 12; or in the form of a bricklike pattern 98 as shown in FIG. 13; or, for that matter, in numerousother types of patterns. The applicability of patterns such as thoseshown in FIGS. l0 through 13 is described in greater detail in theaforesaid copending application, Ser. No. 820,224.

I claim:

1. A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric, which comprises:

feeding a web of sheet material to an adhesive applying station;

applying an adhesive to a rst side of the web of sheet material;

at least partially curing the adhesive applied to the first side;

applying an open pattern of adhesive to the opposite second side of theweb;

preparing a second web including flexible elements extendinglongitudinally of the web;

depositing the second web on the open pattern of adhesive on the secondside of the web of sheet material; bonding the second web to the openpattern of adhesive on said second side;

reactivating the adhesive to a tacky state;

gathering the web of sheet material at a gathering station so thatportions of the sheet material itself protrude upwardly from the planeof its first side:

(i) to form a gathered sheet material backing layer With a rough unevenundersurface;

(ii) while looping the element portions located in the open spaces ofthe adhesive pattern outwardly from the backing layer;

conveying the gathered sheet material backing layer and outwardly loopedelements away from the gathering station.

2. The method of claim 1 further characterized in that the material ofthe rst web is cellulosic tissue.

3. The method of claim 1 further characterized in that the material ofthe first web is a film selected from the group consisting of polyvinylchloride and polyvinylidene chloride film.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the adhesive applied to the first sideof the first material web is an open pattern. 5. The method of claim 1wherein the adhesive applied to the rst side of the web of sheetmaterial is applied in a substantially continuous even film. i

6. A method for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric comprising thesteps of:

feeding a first web of sheet material to an adhesive applying station;applying an adhesive which becomes tacky at elevated temperatures to afirst side of the said first web of sheet material; at least partiallycuring the adhesive applied to the first side; applying an open patternof adhesive which becomes tacky at elevated temperatures to the oppositesecond side of the first web; bonding a second web comprising aplurality of liexible elements extending substantially longitudinallythere of in said open pattern of adhesive on said second side; feedingsaid webs onto a smooth movable surface with said adhesive on said rstside of said web of sheet material in contact with said surface,softening said adhesive on said first and second sides to a tacky stateso that said first web of sheet material adheres to said surface,carrying said webs to the edge of a gathering blade and impinging saidwebs against the edge of said gathering blade to loop the portions ofsaid elements spanning the open portions of said adhesive patternoutwardly from said first web of sheet material while gathering said rstweb of sheet material so that portions of the sheet material itselfprotrude upwardly from the plane of its undersurface and provide agathered sheet material backing layer with a rough, uneven undersurface;and conveying said gathered sheet material backing layer and outwardlylooped elements away from said surface and said gathering blade. 7. Amethod for producing a high-loft, nonwoven fabric, comprising the stepsof:

feeding a iirst web of sheet material having upper and lower adhesivesurfaces;

10 depositing a second web including flexible elements extendinglongitudinally thereof on the upper surface of said first web of sheetmaterial;

bonding said second web to said lirst web of sheet material atlongitudinally spaced points;

feeding said webs onto a smooth movable surface with said lower adhesivesurface of said lfirst web in contact with said movable surface,softening said adhesive surfaces to a tacky state to adhere said loweradhesive surface to said movable surface, carrying said webs on saidmovable surface to the edge of a gathering blade and impinging said websagainst the edge of said gathering blade to loop the portions of saidelements extending between said longitudinally spaced points outwardlyfrom said lirst web of sheet material while gathering said first web sothat portions of the sheet material itself protrude upwardly from theplane of its undersurface and provide a gathered sheet material backinglayer with a rough, uneven undersurface; and

conveying the gathered sheet material backing layer and outwardly loopedelements away from said movable surface and said gathering blade.

8. The method as defined in claim 7 wherein the iirst web comprisescellulosic tissue having adhesive applied to said upper and lowersurfaces.

9. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said first web is a polyvinylchloride film.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,550,680 5/1951 Goldman 161-1482,639,250 5/1953 Reinhardt -161-137 WILLAM A. POWELL, Primary Examiner1.1. BELL, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

156-476, 183, 210, 290, 474; l6l--67, 12S, 132, 148

